macdan TiBook - PowerBook G4 Titanium hacking and uhhh . . . stuff. :-) Once I got a TiBook it was no time at all 'til I took it apart. Of course it helps when the item in question has some problems and thus was acquired cheaply. TiBooks with broken hinges are pretty common, and with the price of used 15.2" LCDs down to ~US$200, even broken-LCD TiBooks are good candidates for a bit o' hacking. Here's some of what I've been up to . . .

I decided to use a TiBook with broken hinges as the basis for a desktop Mac. Folding the screen around to the backside (bottom) of the 'Book you create a nicely usable 15" LCD with a Mac G4 built-on to it. The ports are accessable underneath, plugging in a USB keyboard and mouse, plus the PS and a network cable and I've got a complete G4 computer in a very small package. The only problem is that it doesn't want to stand up by itself, so a stand or case or something would be useful. I covered over the screen cables where they are exposed at what is now the bottom edge, placing tape under and over in an attempt to keep the cables from damage. For this proof-of-concept unit I used packing tape to attach the screen to the main body, but I think self-adhesive velcro between them would work nicely and would make it easier to pop the two halves apart when necessary.

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I can't decide if I should go with an enclosing case or if it should just be a stand for the 'Book. This basic package would lend itself nicely to a classy wood frame and stand, I picture something like a Shaker music stand.You could even hang it on the wall inside a thick rimmed picture frame. However, since it's so compact and clean, free of any odd curves or protrubences, it could be packaged in a million different ways, one's imagination the only limit. When designing a case or stand, keep in mind the optical drive is now accessed at the top of the screen to the right . . . For starters though, I cobbled up out of corrugated cardboard this stand as a prototype for something similar to be made of plastic sheet (I've got a bunch of nice scraps of Lexan laying about.) Even the cardboard prototype holds it nicely, though it doesn't look too 'finished', if you see what I mean. This basic design could be fabbed from any stiff thin stock such as metal or wood. The curved back isn't required, the sides could just be separate straight parts. I just thought the curve was sorta elegant-looking. The 'ears' are part of the support behind the unit, but they also serve to bounce sound from the now-rear-facing speakers toward the front. I figure the key dimension is the width of the port door. The supports should fit around that, but probably shouldn't go out much further apart as the assembly would then be resting on the screen cables (not a good idea.)

Substituting a facia for the front lateral support made quite a difference visually! The possibilities are endless . . .

Another version, not quite as elegant as the hoop, but it does allow a bit of angle adjustment.

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2004.03.14 - updated